No Mistletoe Needed
by cheesecakelover110
Summary: Is it possible to fall in love when the object of your affection is the most perverted, immature, irritating guy you can think of? If he takes your plans for winter break so far from what they once were that you don't even know what's going on when you wake up each morning? If even he himself loses all hope of you two ever being together? Is there even a sliver of reality there?
1. Rude Awakening

Have you ever been in a love triangle?

Or, for that matter, a love shape of any kind?

I have.

And it majorly sucks.

What sucks even worse?

Having one of the many loves be a perverted, rude neko.

My name is Hinamori Amu. I'm sixteen.

This is the story of my Christmas, and how it was totally ruined by what most people would say brightens it: love.

It all started when the snow first fell.

**\*/**

I woke up, but my eyes didn't open. I didn't want them to open; I was really comfortable. My comforter was soft, and my bed was really warm. I smiled a bit, exhaling a happy sigh. School was officially out for winter break. I didn't have to get up until I was ready.

"Have I ever told you how adorable your smile is?" a deep, silky voice murmured.

My eyes flew open to sapphire blue ones.

"GAAAAAAAAHHHH!" I sat up so fast that I lost balance and almost fell, but a hand caught me before I hit the ground and pulled me back onto the bed.

My face was flaming, and I didn't dare lie back down. "IKUTO, YOU PERVERT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

The seventeen-year-old boy sat up to face me, stretching his arms above his head and then rubbing the back of his neck drowsily. "Good morning to you too, Amu," he mumbled.

"ANSWER ME!"

He raised his hands in innocence. "Okay, okay. It was cold at my place. You aren't nearly as warm as you used to be, but your bed is comfortable, anyway. Besides, the thought of seeing you blush first thing in the morning-" he stroked a slender hand across my cheek with a grin- "was undeniably appealing."

My face turned from flaming to white-hot. "GET OUT, PERVERT!"

Ikuto pouted at me. "So soon? I haven't even had breakfast yet."

"OUT!"

"Please? Can I stay?"

"NO."

"Why not?"

I answered immediately, "Because you have been doing this at least once every two weeks since you came back. For two. Freaking. Years, Ikuto. Out."

"But it's almost Christmas, Amu-koi. Are you really going to cast me out with a cold heart?"

A part of me was going to scream at him for adding that suffix to my name, but the other part was too busy accidentally looking him in the eye.

He gave me this really unfair neko look, like an abandoned kitten begging to come inside; I was totally powerless against it.

"D*mn you," I muttered, looking away. "Fine. You can stay."

I looked back at him to find a smirk placed where his begging face had been a moment before. "Why, Amu, I didn't know that you'd missed me so much that you'd be willing for me to stay."

My face burned again, and Ikuto's smirk widened. "QUIT TEASING ME!" I shouted in frustration, throwing my pillow at his face.

Unfortunately, he caught the pillow and chuckled. I was about to yell at him again, but then he wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my neck.

"I just love it when you blush," he murmured into my ear, his warm breath spilling onto my skin. My heart raced, and if there was ever a doubt that my face was cherry-red that morning, it would have been eliminated then and there.

Then I realized: Ikuto was still in my bed.

With a glower, I used all of my strength to shove him onto the ground. He got up, stuck his tongue out at me, and then climbed back in.

Stupid cat.

I got out instead, giving him a glare. "I'm going to get dressed. If I find you in the bathroom with me for the fifth time in a row, I will knock you unconscious and call the cops, pervert. Understood?"

Ikuto shrugged. "Whatever," he said nonchalantly.

I nodded and went into the bathroom, took a shower, and changed into black jeans, a shirt with a red torso and long, black-and-white-striped sleeves as well as three small black buttons lined vertically at the top of the square neck, red sneakers, a puffy black jacket that was lined with faux red fur, and a silver necklace with an onyx pendant.

I blow-dried my wet, strawberry-pink hair, brushed it, pulled the middle section of my bangs back, secured them with a red clip, and pulled the top half of my hair up into a ponytail.

Inspecting myself in the mirror, I figured that I looked pretty good.

"Well done," a small voice said behind me. I turned around to find a lazily floating Miki, accompanied by Ran and Su.

I smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Miki."

They all gave me the thumbs up, and I walked back into my room.

Ikuto didn't try to be discreet about checking me out. His eyes lingered on a few specific places. You can tell which ones.

"Pervert," I growled, my smile gone.

Ikuto stared at me indifferently while laying upside-down on my bed, his midnight-blue hair falling away from his eyes and toward the ground.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my purse, heading down the stairs, trying to forget about Ikuto.

I failed.

**-Ikuto-**

Ah, the joy of waking up in the morning and finding yourself in Hinamori Amu's bed.

And then the utter pleasure of remembering that, ever since you wished to stay seventeen until you were ready to give up your Guardian Character, the age difference between you and her has slowly decreased, which means that your limit of perversion has decreased, as well.

And, finally, the glory of getting her gorgeous, creamy skin to turn that absolutely adorable shade of pink, as well as inspect how her outfit totally shows off her figure and keeps your gaze in a few places.

I love what I do.

**-Amu-**

After breakfast and a short conversation with my parents, I stole a couple of chocolate-chip waffles for Ikuto and brought them up with me.

When he saw the waffles, he held out his hand and then proceeded to stare at me. I felt unbelievably self-conscious as I handed him his breakfast.

Even as he ate the waffles, he kept his gaze on me. I glared back, but he continued to stare. Eventually I asked, "Could you look at something else for a change?"

Ikuto ate the last bite of his waffle, brushed the stray crumbs from his pants, and answered, "But there's nothing as compelling to look at in the room as you."

My face heated up, but instead of replying I stood and went to my desk.

"What are you doing?" Ikuto's voice was right by my ear, and I tried not to jump.

I didn't look at him, instead shoving him away. "Trying to get away from you."

Suddenly, Ikuto's arms were around me again, and his chin was resting at the base of my neck. "How cold, Amu-koi. Why would you want to avoid your lover?"

I put my hand straight into his face and pushed, forcing him to stumble back as I turned around. "Stop adding that suffix to my name! AND YOU ARE NOT MY LOVER!" I yelled, pointing at him.

Ikuto chuckled and grabbed my hand, placing it against his cheek and holding it there. I might've yanked it away, but- to be honest- a part of me didn't want it to move.

"Is that so, Amu?" He moved my hand from his cheek to his lips. "I believe that I've confessed to you before, haven't I?" His words were muffled beneath my palm.

I shook my head and pulled my hand away. "You were teasing me, and you still are. Go find something to amuse you."

I realized my mistake as soon as the words left my mouth.

Ikuto picked me up from my chair in a tight hug. I kicked my legs back in forth with protests and cuss words streaming from my mouth, but it was no use. He had an iron grip.

He sat down on my bed and held me so that I was in his lap. "Thanks for the invitation," he said with a smirk.

"Get away from me, you pervert!" I tried to push him away again, but he squeezed me to him and kissed my shoulder. That, of course, made me struggle even more, which then made his grip tighten.

Eventually I gave up on trying to push him away, and I just sighed irritably as he skimmed his nose along my throat, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

"I should report you for sexual harassment," I muttered.

"That won't stop me from sexually harassing you," he said back, kissing my throat.

I tensed up and scowled at the opposite wall. Why, out of all of the girls that he could mess with, would he continue to harass me alone? Stupid cat.

To my great relief, the phone rang. I looked at Ikuto, expecting him to let me go, but he didn't do anything but cuddle his face into my collarbone.

"Ikuto," I said, struggling, "my phone's ringing. Let- go."

He raised his head and reached next to him, keeping one arm secured around me. He then picked up the phone and flipped it open, pressing it to his ear.

"Yo. Sorry, Amu isn't available right now. Of course I do. She's here. She's busy. Getting harassed by me. I-"

I pulled my arm free and snatched the phone. "Hello?" I asked, glaring at Ikuto.

"Ohaiyo, Amu-chan!"

I smiled. "Ohaiyo, Naghiko-kun! What's up?"

"Yaya-chan's invited us to have a snowball fight. Can you come? Unless you're too busy with Ikuto….."

"No! Of course I'm not! Just ignore him." I shot another glare at Ikuto, who was smirking back at me. "Where are we meeting?"

"The park, of course. Be there within thirty minutes. That's when we start."

"Alright."

"I'll see you there, Amu-chan." I could hear Naghiko's smile through the phone.

"See ya." I smiled back and snapped the phone shut, placing it in my pocket. Ikuto moved his face back to my neck, his grip on me tight once more.

"Ikuto, let go," I growled.

He mumbled something back, but I didn't understand him.

"What?"

He pulled his face back momentarily, and then smirked. "Only if you give me a kiss."

"No!" I said immediately.

He shrugged and rested his chin on my head. "Suit yourself."

"Just let me go!" I demanded.

"Only if you give me a kiss," he repeated.

"No!"

"Then I won't let you go."

"UGH!" I snarled, my hands curling into fists. I sighed and then rolled my eyes. "Fine. I'll give you a kiss."

Ikuto pulled back again and smirked. "Are you sure, Amu?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Before he could say anything else, I kissed him on the corner of his mouth. Technically it was on the lips, but it was also technically on the cheek, too. I was therefore unaccountable for any argument of invalidity. Or validity (if questioned by any of the Guardians).

I broke free of Ikuto's grasp and straightened my clothes, sticking my tongue out at him as I grabbed my purse and walked out of the door.

I'd had enough of Ikuto for the day; I decided to invite Yaya and Rima to go shopping after the snowball fight to avoid any time at home, where Ikuto could easily find me.

With that uplifting thought, I smiled and proceeded to run down the stairs and out the door with a quick good-bye to my parents.

**-Ikuto-**

As soon as she left, I called Yoru, character changed, and leaped from her window, spotting her bright pink hair from below and following her.

In case you ever had a doubt, I am in, fact, Amu's stalker.

And her pervert.

The occupation never gets old.

**AN: So, to my DP readers who are wondering what the fish I am doing writing ANOTHER story, I have a good excuse!**

**On DeviantArt, there was this picture (and yes, I do have an account now) of Amu and Ikuto kissing behind the Christmas tree, and everyone else's reaction. It is the cover for this story, in fact.**

**So I commented saying that I had to write a fanfiction about it because it was so freaking INSPIRATIONAL, and the artist, art-x-soul, was so happy at the thought.**

**So here it is. :DDD**

**plz review.**

**Gracias.**

**Ikuto: What, no chat time?**

**Me: Ikuto, I'll give you permission to do whatever you like with Amu if you shut up.**

**Ikuto: *smirks and shuts up***

**Amu: WHAT?!**


	2. Once Again, the Day is Saved by Ikuto

"Amu-chan, when are you going to get a car?" Miki snickered as my face flushed.

Luckily, Ran spoke up for me. "She doesn't need a car! Running's the way to go, right Amu-chan?"

"Uh….sure?" I agreed, glad that I had someone to protect me from Miki's scrutiny, but not super-duper into running.

"Chara- Change!"

_Wait, what?!_

Immediately I began to sprint down the sidewalk, Ran cheering me on, Miki grumbling about what airheads we were, and poor Su trying to catch up.

Somewhere deep down inside of myself, I screamed, _I DID NOT ASK FOR A CHARACTER CHANGE!_

But, on the outside, I giggled as I ran, feeling wonderful about everything in life and humanity, as well as exercising. Ran's cheering only pushed me forward.

Half a mile and ten minutes on the ground gasping for air later, I stood and grabbed Ran by her tiny little body.

"WHAT in the name of CRAP made that OKAY?!"

"Amu-chan! Stop…choking…"

I let go of Ran and was about to totally cuss her out, but she looked like she was about to cry. I decided to let it go.

I took a deep breath and began to walk again, but I realized something: the roads and grass were covered in only frost, not snow. How were we going to have a snowball fight with no snow?

"Amu-chan? What's wrong? Desu," Su asked, still breathing a bit heavily.

"How are we going to have a snowball fight with no snow?" I wondered aloud to them.

"I didn't notice that," Ran said, tapping her lip with her tiny index finger.

"Me neither. Desu," Su agreed.

Miki said nothing.

I ignored her and shrugged. "We should go anyway. It's the first day of winter break."

The two Charas nodded. I turned to Miki, who was still ignoring us, and got the tiniest bit agitated. At least, I was agitated enough to ask, "Miki, have you gone deaf and mute in the last five minutes? What are you doing?"

She reluctantly turned around and shrugged. "Just thinking about Yoru," she answered.

"Wait- really?" I stared at her in disbelief; Ran and Su shared a surprised look.

Miki snickered. "No. I was debating whether or not to tell you that your hair is still messed up from when Ikuto-kun nuzzled it." She giggled; I frantically redid my hair, face flushing.

"Is it better now?" I asked.

Miki nodded. "It's fine, Amu-chan."

I gave a sigh of relief. "Now I won't be embarrassed when I see Tadase-kun. Or Kukai."

I realized what I'd just said, and self-hatred filled me. "WHY DO I HAVE TO HAVE SO MANY LOVES?! WHY CAN'T I BE NORMAL?!"

"A woman is not a woman unless she has at least two loves," Miki said with a smirk. "The more, the merrier."

I stopped freaking out and stared at her. "Okay, _you're_ just a player."

"And I'm proud of it."

I ignored her and checked my phone for the time.

"Holy crap, I'm late!"

I ran down the sidewalk, forgetting to ask for a Character Change. I was about to turn the corner, but I slipped on the ice. Thankfully, however, someone caught me.

"Oh, thanks," I said with a smile. It faded when I looked up to see who had caught me.

Surprise, surprise.

Tsukiyomi Ikuto.

"IKUTO! WHY ARE YOU STALKING ME, PERVERT?!"

Ikuto set me upright and shrugged. "'Cause you're hot?"

My face blazed, and I shouted, "GO AWAY!"

Ikuto slipped his cold hands through my hair and gently held my face, lightly skimming his nose behind my ear. "But you're so warm, Amu-koi. Don't make me stay so cold."

I shoved him away. "PERVERT!"

He stood and smirked, pulling me into a tight hug. I heard a few passerby sigh in a collective "Aw!", and my blushed deepened. I shoved Ikuto away. "I have somewhere to be, if you don't mind. Now leave me alone, perverted cat!"

I started to run again, but he grabbed me by the waist and held me bridal-style. "Tsk, tsk. You shouldn't be running on icy sidewalks, Amu. It's dangerous."

He Character Changed, his adorable cat ears popping up along with a slim blue tail, and jumped onto the nearest roof silently. He then proceeded to leap from roof to roof.

I stared at his adorable cat ears as they flicked this way and that, picking up sound and flicking away debris. They really were the cutest thing about him; I found myself giggling.

"What's so funny, Hinamori?" Ikuto asked without looking.

"Nothing. Your cat ears are just too cute."

Ikuto gave me a look, rolled his eyes, and said, "Whatever" as we landed onto the icy sidewalk.

"Thanks," I said as I began to walk across the street to the park. Unfortunately, I slipped _again._

This time, however, when Ikuto caught me there was no smirk, laugh, or any trace of lightheartedness to be found on his features as his eyes flicked behind me and his breathing slowed (had it accelerated in the first place? I hadn't noticed). He actually looked…scared.

However, as he looked back to me, he went from scared to….something else. Something undecipherable. I gave up on trying to decipher it when I found myself wandering in the depths of his sapphire eyes. I got this strange feeling. It was a sort of…warmth, I guess. It was almost as if the bottomless depth of his eyes was extracting all other thoughts and emotions from my mind and feeding it that wonderful, wonderful warmth that was even better than the comfort that I'd felt that morning. I didn't want to look away.

**-Ikuto-**

I didn't want to look away.

It was as if the beautiful, comforting, golden color of her eyes was pulling me in, surrounding me in a feeling that I never got over. It made me want to stay exactly where I was, with her, forever.

But the moment was interrupted…

**-Amu-**

…by the sudden realization that I was becoming late again.

I righted my position and cleared my throat, the warmth leaving me with nothing to show for it but a warm face.

Ikuto removed his hands from my back and head and replaced them in his pockets, his expression seeming a bit reluctant. But for what?

Suddenly, he looked up into the gray sky and smiled, revealing his cute teeth pattern (you may be wondering: how can a tooth pattern be cute? Well, most of it has to do with his sharp canines, like a cat's, but the rest is somehow cute, anyway. Don't ask me).

"Hold out your tongue," he ordered.

"Why?" I asked, surprised by his sudden, strange request.

"Just do it. Now."

I rolled my eyes. "Weirdo," I said before holding out my tongue.

Ikuto took my shoulders and placed me a few feet from him.

_What are you doing, you perverted neko?_

Before I could get up the irritation to ask him exactly that, something cold and icy landed on my tongue I blinked in surprise as it melted, and then pulled my tongue back in.

"Hinamori Amu gets the first snowflake," he said with a smirk. I felt myself blush.

"So, where's my thanks?" he asked.

Before I could think about it, I kissed the same corner of his mouth. When I pulled back, I saw that Ikuto looked about as surprised as I felt. We both knew that I hadn't character changed, and there hadn't been any incentive.

I'd never kissed Ikuto before- not anywhere, not even on the cheek- without an incentive, or without him giving me blackmail. We both knew that it wasn't that way between us; Ikuto always joked about being in love with me, and I brushed it off as a stupid joke that he really needed to give up on. He liked to sexually harass me almost every day, and I'd yell at him for it. That was how we were to each other: good friends. Granted, good friends that liked to yell and sexually harass, but good friends, nonetheless.

_So WHY had I done that?!_

Before I could really ponder the answer to that excellent question, Ikuto kissed me on the corner of _my_ mouth. His wasn't like mine had been; his kiss wasn't just a quick peck. He pressed his lip slowly to my skin and rose back to his full height calmly.

He smirked, not betraying an ounce of that surprise that I'd just seen a moment ago. "Later, Amu."

I waved and began to walk again. However, as I did, I stumbled over something.

I looked to see what had just tripped me, realizing that this was where I'd slipped.

It was a broken beer bottle, with sharp shards of glass surrounding it.

My eyes widened. Had I really almost fallen…..onto _that_? Had I really been in that much danger?

"I-Ikuto?" I called, wondering if he'd just saved my life for the billionth time since we'd met.

When I turned around, however, he wasn't anywhere in sight.

Typical.

"Ran, Miki, Su!" I called. My three Charas flew over to me cheerfully (Where had they been, anyway?) and floated along as I jogged across the street, careful where I stepped.

As I entered the gates of the park, I looked one last time at the broken glass on the road. It was amazing that, out of all of the dangers I'd faced, that one little thing could've seriously harmed me. Just that random, out-of-nowhere everyday thing.

However, like every other time I'd been in trouble, Tsukiyomi Ikuto had saved me.

I was forever indebted to him, wasn't I?

**Thereyago, Chaptah two!**

**Sorry this took so long to update. I've been having a crappy week. L**

**Ikuto: so, uh, Amu almost died…from a beer bottle?**

**Me: Yup. Pretty much.**

**Ikuto: She's so vulnerable…**

**Me: Where is she, anyway?**

**Ikuto: Oh. Speaking of vulnerability. She needs some time to cool off. **

**Me: From what?**

**Ikuto: From what I did to her after the last chat. You should see her face; it's even more pink than her hair.**

**Me: That poor girl. Are her clothes at least still on?**

**Ikuto: Yeah. That is, what's left of them…..**

**Me: O_O**

**Ikuto: *smirks* anyway, review, people. Review.**

**August: WHAT IS WITH EVERYONE AND STEALING MY LINE?!**

**Me: There, there, Prince Augustus. *strokes adorably soft, shaggy hair* *whispers* there, there.**

**August: O_O uh….*whispers to Ikuto* help!**

**Ikuto: *shrugs* Sorry, bro. REVIEW!**

**August: Where's Star when you need her? Staaaaar! Juli's getting al cuddly agaaaaaain! And Ikuto stole my liiiine!**

**Star: Hi, guys. August, let Juli release her love. And Ikuto hardly ever gets to say the line. Calm down. I'll make you some bacon after this.**

**August: BACON.**

**Ikuto: *review* *now* *NOW* *****_NOW_***** *now.***


	3. Didn't I Tell Him to Get Lost?

**-Ikuto- **

_Hinamori Amu, you will be the death of me._

In that one moment when I was captivated by her, I had temporarily forgotten what had almost ended her. Now it came back like a smack on the head.

Amu had almost been killed.

_By a beer bottle_.

It was like the Universe was hell-bent on killing her; what are the odds that she'd slip and fall on a pile of broken glass? Seriously, things like this never happened to anyone else. Amu was a death magnet.

The thought made me scowl at the icy ground, which was quickly piling up with snow. Of all of the people that I could've fallen in love with…it _had_ to be her. Dense, stubborn, unlucky Amu. So dense that when I said _to her face_ that I was in love with her, she didn't get it. So stubborn that she was convinced of her feelings for Tadase, Souma, and pretty much every guy but me. So unlucky that I'd had to save her- what? Like, seventy times?

I'd figured that maybe, just maybe, if she matured a little, she'd return the feelings that I had for her. Maybe I'd guessed wrong. Maybe Amu would never fall for me.

I sighed, a cloud of white mist surrounding my mouth.

"Ikuto! I'm bored- nya!" Yoru complained.

I lightly flicked him on the head, causing him to spiral backwards a little. "Think about something," I told him with a roll of my eyes.

"I wanna go play with the other Charas! Don't you want to see Amu again? Nya!"

Yes. Yes, I did.

Then again, I figured that she'd want some time off with her real friends, away from the pervert. After all, she always looked as if she were having so much fun with them; she was always smiling and laughing. She rarely smiled like that around me, and she only laughed if she finally got some sort of a one-up on me.

"Amu needs time with her actual friends," I told Yoru coolly. "Besides, we have plenty to do."

"Like what? Nya."

He stared at me incredulously, his eyes just a shade darker than Amu's. I sighed. "Like mess with Amu. Come on."

Yoru grinned widely and character changed with me. Together, we took the shortcut to the park.

I smirked as we leaped from rooftop to rooftop. Amu was going to be very pleased.

**\*/**

"Amu-chi!" Yaya practically tackled me as soon as she saw me.

I laughed and hugged her back. "Hey, Yaya. What's up?"

"Amu-chan!"

"Amu-chan!"

"Hinamori!"

I looked up to see three teenage boys running my way, waving. They all stopped when they got to me and offered a hand to help me up. I stood on my own and smiled.

"Hey, guys. Are Utau and Rima here?"

Tadase, who was looking unbelievably cute today, nodded. "Hoshina-san and Mashiro-san are over at the café nearby."

"Why are they there?" I asked with a questioning tilt of my head.

"We're all going there! We're waiting for the snow to build up in order to have a good fight." Yaya grinned. She really had not changed much since she was twelve. Really, the only difference was her appearance; she wore her shoulder-length carrot-colored hair loose over her shoulders with two red bow- decorated clips on either side of her head, for one thing. She also had a more womanly figure- not much more, but more, nonetheless- and she was capturing many random guys' attention on the street.

"Oh," I said. Then I shrugged. "I could go for a nice hot chocolate, anyway."

"Great," Nagi said with a smile. "I'll help you over the ice."

He gently lifted the fingerlessly gloved fingertips of my left hand and began to walk with me, but Tadase tapped on his shoulder. "Nagihiko-kun? Would you mind if I walked Amu over the ice?"

"Of course not," Nagi answered, handing my hand over to Tadase. My face flushed- for what, the millionth time that day?- as Tadase held my hand in his and smiled a perfectly, perfectly charming smile at me.

As we all speed-walked out of the park and down the street, I couldn't help but stare at Tadase; he'd gone from cute to full-blown handsome in the last three years. He looked a lot like the founding King had when I'd first met him.

He'd gotten much taller, and his sunshine-blonde hair had gotten a bit longer. His eyes seemed a much more intense shade of maroon now; they were breathtaking. And his smile….his smile was just as wonderful as it had been when I first saw him, if not better.

Then there was Kukai. I turned my gaze from Tadase to the said jock. He was Ikuto's age now, and my crush on him had grown very quickly. Kukai was the type of guy that no one could truly hate, no matter how hard they tried. Always easygoing, funny, fun to be around, and just fun in general. Of course he was good-looking, too; those electric-green eyes that sparked with life and energy were contagious, and that messy copper-brown hair that glinted from the sunlight was captivating.

And there was also, slightly, Nagihiko. I didn't have enough of a crush on him to really call it that, but there was something there that was a tiny bit more than friendship. Maybe it was because he'd always been there for me, even when I hadn't known that he was a guy at all (long story). He gave the best and wisest advice that really anyone could give, and he was always my shoulder to cry on. There was no doubt about it; Nagi was my best friend. Well, Nagi, Utau, and Rima….

Whatever. The point is that we're pretty close.

"So, Amu-chan, what do you want for Christmas?" Tadase asked suddenly, catching my attention.

My blush deepened as I shrugged. "Um, maybe a CD or something? I don't know."

Tadase smiled, and my heart raced. "That's alright. Maybe something will come to you soon. And if not, I can guess."

Wait a second. "T-Tadase-kun! You don't have to get something for me! I don't even have anything for you!"

Lie.

I just wasn't sure if it wasn't too embarrassing to give.

He rubbed his thumb across the back of my glove reassuringly; my skin burned. "Of course I do," was all that he said, getting that faraway smile that always drove me nuts with curiosity. Why would he have to?

That question was not answered as soon as I'd hoped (meaning not right away). As soon as we got to the café, Nagi held the door open for me and Tadase led me in, still holding my hand. It was warm, and the overwhelmingly pleasant scent of hot chocolate and peppermint filled my nose. A smile overtook my features as my body relaxed into the seat that Tadase had very kindly pulled out for me.

"Arigato," I said, blushing. Tadase's gentlemanliness never failed to turn my face pink.

He smiled back, the faraway look now gone. "It's no trouble."

He took a seat for himself, and I looked out the large, frosted window next to us, where snow was building up pretty quickly on the ground. We'd probably only have to wait a few hours before we had the fight.

The childish part of me danced inside with pure joy at the thought of a snowball fight. I guess that, like Yaya, I hadn't changed much in three years. Of course I looked older- for one thing, I was certainly not flat-chested like I used to be (as Utau had so gracefully pointed out. Scratch that. As Ikuto's stares and Utau had pointed out). My strawberry-pink hair was now down to the top of my bicep, my eyes had taken a shape similar to my mother's, I had grown a few inches, and my voice was less high-pitched.

Other than that, however, I still loved the carnival. I still giggled when I saw someone slip and fall, before helping them up. I still cried when I watched a sad movie, I was still terrified of ghosts (just the word makes me shudder), and I still squealed whenever someone bought me cotton candy.

I hadn't matured much, had I?

"Amu!" Utau's pretty, slender fingers snapped in front of my face.

My chin rose from my palm as I looked at her violet eyes. It was very strange how alike she and Ikuto were; they had the same eye shape, same slender fingers (though Utau's were more feminine), same boldness and blatantly perverted way of thinking. They both loved music, and they were both prodigies, with Utau's amazing singing and Ikuto's addicting violin. Really, the only things keeping them from appearing completely alike siblings were Utau's long, light blonde hair, the violet color of her eyes, the fact that she was a girl, and how much more calm and sure of himself Ikuto was than her, even though they were now the same age.

"Ohaiyo, Utau," I said, waving.

"Why are you acting so spacy?" she demanded. "I mean, you're usually a spazz, but this is a little different."

"Spazz?!" I repeated, glaring at Utau. Good friends we might have been, but we couldn't ever seem to get along, something that was a pattern with the Tsukiyomis.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, a spazz. But seriously, what's going on in that head of yours?"

I shrugged. "Just marveling at how much we've grown, I guess."

"Ah, so it's the usual sappy stuff, huh? Guess I shouldn't have thought any different."

I ignored her remark and gladly took my cup of peppermint hot chocolate from Nagihiko, smiling. "Arigato, Nagi."

I took a sip and looked back at Utau, about to say something- although I have no idea what that something would be- when something warm and wet stroked the end of my nose, where there had been, apparently, foam.

I looked to my side and- oh, joy- there was Ikuto, smirking.

"Ikuto!" Utau exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. He lightly patted her back, making a strange, almost bored expression before turning to me and smirking again.

I frantically wiped my nose with a napkin. "Didn't I tell you to get lost, pervert?!" I asked, cheeks flaming.

He walked over and sat down at the seat across from mine, leaning forward. "You know I can't stay away from you, Amu."

I could feel Utau's dark, terrifying aura rising. I turned to her, already shaking. "Utau! It's not my fault! I don't...he's the one that won't stop harassing me!"

Ikuto's warm fingers took my chin and turned it so that I was facing him again. "No, Amu, it _is _your fault. Try to be a bit less sexy, and it might do the trick."

Utau's aura burst into an all-out atmosphere.

"Ikuto-niisan!" Tadase's voice, thank God, entered the conversation.

Ikuto didn't pull away. "Morning, Tadase. How're things?"

"Ikuto! If you want to join us, then I politely ask that you move away from Amu and find your own chair. Mashiro-san has already claimed that spot."

Ikuto, impossibly, leaned even closer. His smell, an alluring scent that reminded me of the middle of the night, wafted into my nose, overpowering the chocolate-and-peppermint smell of the café. "I'm sorry, Tadase," he said, still not breaking his gaze with me, "but there was nothing to mark this chair as anyone else's. Besides," he continued, leaning even closer to me, "I'm having too much fun."

I could feel Utau's atmosphere get even stronger with each passing millisecond. When Ikuto was through, she was going to murder me.

_D*mn that freaking neko!_

"Ikuto!" Tadase shouted with authority. "Leave Hinamori-san alone. _Now_."

Ikuto rolled his eyes and pulled away, wiping his knuckle underneath my jaw before placing his head on one hand. "Your wish is my command, your Highness," he sighed.

Strong fingers gripped my shoulder tightly. I turned to see Utau- or, rather, what used to be Utau. What now stood in her place was one of the scariest demons I'd ever seen, ready to kill.

"_Amuuuu_," she growled. I trembled, eyes wide, and looked to Ikuto for help. He just watched the scene with amusement.

_Once I revive myself as a zombie, I will kill him._

Thankfully, however, Utau was temporarily distracted by Kukai, who rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Yo Hoshina, let it go. I mean, it wasn't Hinamori's fault was it? Oh, and by the way"- he gave Ikuto a thumbs up and a grin here- "nice moves, Tsukiyomi."

I was about ready to beat both Ikuto _and_ Kukai on the head until their skulls were mashed in right about then, but Ikuto took my hot chocolate and drank some himself, catching me off guard.

"Ikuto!" I exclaimed, snatching the cup back. "That's mine!"

He shrugged, calmly taking the cup again. "I don't care."

I could hear my Charas whispering and giggling over in the corner, to my dismay.

"….isn't that….."

"…..an indirect…"

"….kiss?"

I almost strangled all three of them at once, but Ikuto handed me my cup back.

My face flushed. "I don't want it back, baka! You've got your germs in it already!"

"Germs are everywhere," he retorted with a roll of his eyes. "Just drink the hot chocolate, Amu."

"No."

Ikuto smirked and pinched my nose. I tried not to, but soon enough my mouth flew open, gasping for air. He poured the warm, delicious liquid down my throat as I glared at him, ignoring the incredible taste of the hot chocolate.

When the cup ran out, he took my chin again and licked a small stream of hot chocolate from my jaw to the corner of my mouth, the one opposite of where he'd kissed me. I wiped my mouth and, ignoring the flames in my cheeks, just stared at him with a strange half-scowl on my face.

He pulled back, chuckling. "So you have a new expression, huh? You never fail to amuse me, Hinamori Amu."

I didn't say anything, just stared at him with the same expression. I could feel my Charas tugging at my face.

"Amu-chan's stuck!" Ran cried.

Miki snickered. "We tried to warn her that her face would freeze like that…."

"I hope she can change her expression soon. Desu," Su added.

I didn't need to look around to know what everyone was probably doing.

Utau, of course, was trying to attack me.

Kukai was holding her back, but just barely.

Tadase was giving Ikuto a disapproving look (sometimes, I wondered who really acted as the older brother between those two).

Yaya was watching with large, bewildered eyes.

Rima was staring at us with boredom.

Nagihiko was watching with interest, wondering how this would turn out.

And Ikuto, of course, was laughing, covering his eyes with one hand as if I were the stupid one here.

I finally stood, surprising everyone, and pointed at Ikuto, who looked up, interested.

"_You_. Come with me."

Everyone-even the other customers- watched as I marched over towards the hallway that held the restrooms and Ikuto followed.

I turned to face him. "Don't you have better things to do?"

He shook his head. "Not really. I mean, what's better than stalking you and then messing with you?"

I glared at him, folding my arms. "Are you asking me to slap you?"

He smirked. "It depends on where you're going to slap."

My face went from flushed to super-nova-hot. "I meant on the face, pervert!"

He fake-frowned. "But that's no fun at all."

"IKUTO!" I shouted, but then regained my composure. "Ikuto. I'd like to have a fun, happy winter break. Meaning NO SEXUAL HARASSMENT. Please."

Ikuto snorted. "Your idea of fun and mine are totally different."

"_Ikuto_."

"Fine," he said, raising his hands in surrender.

"Good," I said, relieved.

I was about to walk back to the table, but he grabbed my wrist suddenly, and the room span as I was pushed to the wall.

Ikuto leaned over me, one hand gripping my wrist with his elbow resting against the wall, and the other hand pushed against the wall beside me so that I was trapped.

He smirked again. "Unless, of course, you change your mind, Amu-koi. After all, who's going to keep you warm?"

"I-I….uh…" _How did he always manage to do this so suddenly?!_

"So you _have_ changed your mind?"

"N-no, pervert!" I said, pushing him away with my free hand. He did back up as I pushed, but very gracefully. Ugh! Couldn't he do something _without_ great position for once?!

"I see," he said, putting his hands back into his pockets. "Well, in that case, I'll have to make you change your mind. That should be fun. I'll be seeing you, Amu."

"Wait!" I called. He stopped and turned around, not replying. "You're not going to stay with us?" I asked. "Not even until we head back outside?"

He shook his head, an amused smile placed on his lips. "I have some things to plan. I'll be seeing you, Amu."

As he walked away, his words rang in my ears.

_Some things to plan._

That did _not_ sound good.

\*/

After everyone finished their hot chocolate, we all piled up into Nagi's limo (unfortunately, many people stared) and headed over to the mall to go Christmas shopping, still waiting for the snow to pile up.

We split up as Kukai raced off to the sports section with a reluctant and slightly confused Utau in tow, Tadase, Nagihiko, and Yaya went to look at Christmas trees (although they all had one in their homes already), and Rima and I headed over to the jewelry section.

When we reached the stands, Rima stopped and inspected the watches.

"Rima? Why are you looking at watches?" I inquired, curious.

She didn't glance at me. "I'm thinking of getting one as a gift for someone."

"Who?"

Rima sighed. "No one."

I gave her a curious look and began to inspect the jewelry, too. I stopped when I saw a box of chocolates misplaced on top of the stand.

I picked it up, noticing that they were all chocolate-and strawberry-flavored. Ikuto's favorite.

Without thinking, I grabbed the box and held onto it until we got to the register, where I paid seven dollars for the gift and put it in my purse, where it would stay until I saw Ikuto again.

**A/N: American money- deal with it.**

**_So so so_**** sorry about the slow update! I've been having a crappy week (again), and I can never write anything in the morning. It's the weirdest thing, but it's totally true! I don't have any inspiration or motivation at all. So forgive me, please. :3**

**Ikuto: Update faster this time. I'm waiting for those chocolates.**

**Amu: *hair still slightly disheveled, face still slightly flushed, but recovered from Ikuto's attack* Why did I even get those?**

**Me: The answer shall be revealed next chaptah!**

**Ikuto: Oh, and Juli- what's my plan?**

**Me: *whispers incoherently ***

**Ikuto: *grins* Ahhhh. I like that plan. Why didn't I think of it earlier?**

**Me: Because you didn't have the time to assault a police officer back then! :D**

**Amu: WHAT?!**

**Me: Oh, and Amu….I think you'll like Ikuto's reaction to the chocolates, hehe.**

**Amu: Why do I get the feeling that I won't like it at all?**

**Me: Oh, no, you'll like it. But Ikuto will enjoy it much, much more.**

**Amu: How can you enjoy your own reaction?**

**Me: Oh, you dense, dense girl. All in good time. All in good time.**

**Amu: The great and wonderful cheesecakelover (who is really psychotic and starting to scare me) does not own Shugo Chara.**

**Ikuto: And (while I'm starting to like this chick's plot more and more) she's seriously begging for reviews. The more she gets, the faster she updates. The less she gets, the closer she gets to her Emo Corner. So, for my sake, review. (Seriously. I don't think that I can handle watching her snot over her tissues over there for another second. Just review. NOW.)**


	4. A Kiss on the Forehead

**-Ikuto-**

"That was barely enough time to talk to anyone. Nya," Yoru grumbled.

"Any ideas?" I asked idly.

He gave me a confused look. "Of what?"

"Getting Amu to change her mind."

He shrugged his miniature shoulders. "I don't know. Whatever comes to mind, I guess."

"Whatever comes to mind…"

"Hey, you! Stop there!" My gaze snapped from the sky to a cop chasing after a black-haired kid, who was holding something. Standing a few meters behind the cop was an old woman, glaring at the guy being chased. My best guess was that he'd probably stolen something of hers.

With a roll of my eyes, I darted after the kid, grabbed him by the hoodie, and lifted him up to my face. He stared at me with huge brown eyes, trembling. I gave him my fiercest stare.

"Hand it over," I growled, holding out my free hand.

He immediately put the object in my palm- _surprise, surprise_, it was a purse.

I released him, grabbed his wrist and yanked him in the cop's direction. The tall, thin man accepted the teen with a nod of thanks toward me, and then slammed handcuffs on his wrist.

The woman took the purse, thanking me breathlessly, and both she and the cop asked if there was anything that they could do to return the favor.

I smirked. "Well, there is one thing…"

With that, I snatched a spare pair of handcuffs from the cop's belt, pantsed him (because it would've been totally boring if I hadn't), and ran away holding back a hysterical laugh.

**(-Y-)**

"Uh…Hinamori? You alright?"

I didn't even look at Kukai. The snowball fight had been fun for the first five minutes, until Yaya's team went totally ballistic on us and pretty much stuffed my underwear full of freezing, stinging snow.

Oh, and Utau. Utau had been the worst of them all.

She threw, like, fifty snowballs a second, all with the most powdery, freezing cold snow you could find, all loaded with sticks, pebbles, and all sorts of debris, and all directed at my face. And, the entire time, her eyes had been glowing the scariest shade of red I'd ever seen.

The way my name sounded through her mouth would give me nightmares that night.

To top it all off, now we were all supposedly getting some more hot chocolate to warm ourselves up, and I was the only one that was shivering like a psycho and dripping wet, everything cold but my purse.

"You annoy me," Utau muttered as she walked ahead of me.

I would've said something back, something to express the undeniable rage surging through my veins, but my teeth were chattering so hard that every syllable sounded like a drum solo.

Instead, I just turned around and walked away, back toward my house. When everyone asked what I was doing, I waved my hand dismissively at them, shaking my head. I wanted to go home right now. Alone.

**(-Y-)**

**-Ikuto-**

**"**Hello, Ikuto! Merry Christmas." Amu's mother smiled warmly at me through the doorway, gesturing for me to come in. I could see that she was in a rather homely mood; she had that sparkle in her eye that I saw whenever she was gathering ideas for her magazine.

"Hello," I said politely back. "Is Amu home?"

Her mom shook her head. "No, but you can wait for her in her room, if you'd like."

I nodded and gave a smile to the woman. Being around Amu's family always made me envious; her mother was such a kind woman, willing to care for a complete stranger that had intruded her daughter's bedroom. Her father was a drastic and amusing man, but he cared the world for his children. Her little sister…well, I had to admit, I wouldn't be able to stand being her sibling if I were Amu, but I guess, in a way, she wasn't totally irritating. At least she didn't need as much help as Utau had, before Amu had come along.

Of course, my family was reunited again. My mother had divorced my stepfather (mutually; they had both agreed that there was no reason for their marriage), I had brought my father back to Japan after a few months of traveling with him, Utau had begun to live with us again, and our friendship with the Hotori family was mending itself.

However, things could become a bit awkward at home, which is part of the reason why I chose to sleep in Amu's room half of the time. My mother and my father still loved each other, but they had just resolved an argument between themselves over whether or not it was right of my dad to leave. They'd just gotten remarried a few months ago.

Utau had reacted as my mother had. She'd cast my father out of the house, and it'd taken a really pissed off lecture from me (after she'd cussed him out for playing the violin near the house) to change her mind.

I, of course, made sure my dad didn't leave again. I wasn't the family type, but I knew that, whether they agreed or not, Utau and my mother needed him. After so long in a broken home, we all needed some sense of unity.

So now we all lived together (and apparently my dad can see Shugo Chara- go figure), but that didn't make things less awkward. I was still me, Utau was still Utau, and my dad was way too cheerful about everything.

His positivity and wisdom _did_ make me feel different inside, the way I felt when I was around Amu (minus having to keep myself from tackling her), but sometimes he acted just like Tsukasa-san. As a matter of fact, those two hung out a lot these days….

I allowed myself a smile as I heard Amu's dad wail in the living room that his little girl was hanging out with too many boys and a slight sigh as Ami yelled, "Ikuto-kun! Ikuto-kun! Come and play!"

That girl was just like Utau.

I marched up into Amu's room and slipped underneath her covers, where it smelled just like her.

Yoru announced, "I'm going to take a little cat nap-nya." With that, he immediately fell asleep.

I stared at him. He was the closest thing I had to a best friend; he knew what I was thinking all of the time, kept me out of trouble (as much as he was willing to), and cared for me. No one but Tsukasa-san and Amu ever really did that, and half of the time I was taking care of them in return.

Shugo Charas really were strange beings. There was no way that someone could be so….._absolute_. But for them, it was the norm. If they were an angel, they only did what they thought was right. If they were a devil, they only did what they thought was bad. If they were a cheerleader, they never gave up no matter what, and they couldn't ever stand to be sad.

Or Yoru. He was an alley-cat Chara, free as a stray. He didn't follow me, like everyone else's Chara did for their human. He moved around as he pleased, messed with whatever he wanted, roamed with absolute freedom.

But, like an alley cat, he was somewhat loyal in the midst of all of that freedom. Always saving me from the worst situations, coming back to me like a cat's favorite hiding place to check on me. I took it all for granted until the day I was supposed to turn eighteen.

Even now, my birthday wish seems as childish as it can get.

_I wish I didn't have to grow up. Not until I'm ready. Please don't take Yoru. Please._

I'd blown out the candles on my self-bought chocolate dessert, my heart aching in a way that made me almost regret giving up that numbness I'd worn for so long.

When I'd opened my eyes, Yoru was there, fully there, not the ghost he'd been a minute earlier, grinning like crazy.

I'd stayed seventeen ever since.

**(-Y-)**

"Hi, Amu-chan!" Everyone called cheerfully as I entered the house, not even glancing at me.

As quickly as possible, I ran up the stairs, into the bathroom, slammed the door, threw off my clothes, and took the hottest shower I'd ever taken.

It. Felt. Amazing.

After about an hour, I turned off the water, wrapped myself in a towel, towel-dried my hair, pulled it up into a sloppy ponytail, and used a towel-headband to push random, damp strands of strawberry-pink out of my face.

I slid on my flip-flops, reached underneath the sink to grab a bottle of milk (I kept a secret stash there for moments just like these), and began to drink it.

"That had to be the best shower I've ever taken," I remarked between sips to Ran, Miki, and Su.

"I remember telling you that drinking that wouldn't make your chest any bigger. Obviously, I was wrong."

Before I knew it, my Charas were crying out, "Ikuto-kun! You killed Amu-chan! Her soul's flying away!"

"Her soul seems depressed. I wonder if she's a masochist?"

Thankfully, my Charas gave me my soul back, and I was about to go all out on Ikuto when- again- he caught me off guard.

He got me by the chin, forcing me to look directly into his eyes, and stared for a second before kissing my forehead.

My heart skipped a beat.

The action was so sweet, so unexpected, so unlike Ikuto that, for once, I really had nothing to say. My face flushed, but this time it wasn't an embarrassed or flustered one. The feeling was warmer, slower, and much more unfamiliar.

_Doki._

Ikuto left the bathroom without another word. He hadn't said anything pervy that time, another surprise. On the contrary, he'd smiled warmly.

_Doki._

I'd never felt this way before, not even around Tadase. Especially never around Ikuto. Again, the gesture was so…..sweet. Ikuto had never entered my thoughts as a sweet type of person.

Now that he had, even if it was a one-time thing, I think…..

I think that maybe, just maybe, I could fall in love with Ikuto.

_Doki doki doki doki doki doki doki doki doki doki doki doki doki…._

**A/N: I am proud of this chapter.**

**Very proud.**

**Ikuto: …..**

**Amu:….**

**Me: WHAT? Got a problem?!**

**Amu: No.**

**Ikuto: ….**

**Me: Problem, Ikuto?!**

**Yoru: He's just too happy to express himself right now-nya.**

**Ikuto: *mumbles* ….though it would've been better if I'd done something a bit different in there….**

**Me: Pervert. I LIKED what happened. :P**

**August: *chomping bacon noisily* Oh, I see what's going on here. *points at Ikuto* ****_He's_**** totally in love with ****_her_****. *points at Amu and swallows, taking another bite of bacon* And now he has to resort to dirty thoughts, or he'll start spacing out with happiness at the fact that she finally admitted something about her feelings for him. *swallows and takes another bite* I know 'cuz I've been somewhere like that. *chomps***

**Star: I'm sorry? What do you mean, exactly?**

**August: Nah, not you, Star. You were the object of affection in the situation, but no dirty thoughts in this Prince's mind. You're too sweet and innocent for me to corrupt that. :D**

**Luella: Augustus, she fought and won a bloody, scarring war that began when she was twelve. *looks at Star, who's blinking in confusion with big blue doe-eyes* Although you have a point, she ****_is_**** impossible to corrupt.**

**Kaden: August, the bacon please. **

**August: NO. XP**

**Star: August, give Kaden some bacon. He's hungry.**

**August: Well HE doesn't have scars on his already-pale stomach, so NO. XP**

**Ikuto: What does that have to do with anything?**

**Amu: Just give him some bacon.**

**Luella: Augustus, give him bacon OR ELSE. **

**August: Or else what? You'll hypnotize me into doing it? Fat chance, cuz I'm a Radiant. WHAZZUP.**

**Lue: No, imbecile, I wasn't going to say that, because we're ALL RADIANTS. Hand it over, or I'll call Esther to beat your skull in with me.**

**August: O_O Kaden, take the bacon. NOW. NOOOW.**

**Kaden: *smiles shyly at Luella* Thanks, Lue.**

**Luella: *rolls eyes* Oh, come off it and just kiss me already, Hughes. *grips Kaden by his shirt and plants a kiss on his lips***

**Star: *smiles happily and laughs a bit* They're so sweet together.**

**August: -_-**

**Star: Something wrong?**

**August: -_-**

**Ikuto: *smirks* I see what's happening here. *points at August* ****_He_**** is in love with ****_her_**** *points at Star* and is jealous of ****_them_**** *points at still-kissing Lue and Kaden* because ****_he_**** *points at Kaden* is getting attention.**

**Amu: Even I have to admit that the irony of this is pretty funny.**

**Star: Oh! *turns to August* I'm so sorry, August! If you wanted attention, you just had to say so.**

**Ikuto: *sweat drop* This chick is denser than Amu.**

**Amu: Hey!**

**August: *opens arms for a hug, pouting***

**Star: *laughs and gives August a tight hug, kissing him on the lips afterward* Love you, August.**

**August: *smiles happily and holds Star to him* Love you, too, Snow White. Princess. Donatella. Star. Water girl. Epitome of perfection. **

**Star: *blushing majorly* August, um, that's enough.**

**August: Wait a sec, not finished yet. Shadow-slayer. My dream girl. Sweetness in a human form. The prettiest girl in the Universe. Charmer of all living things. The personification of all things good.**

**Star: *face cherry-red* Uh….**

**Ikuto: *smirking* I am enjoying this.**

**Amu: Poor girl.**

**Ikuto: That reminds me. *turns to Amu* Seems every other couple is hooking up but you and I, Amu-koi. **

**Amu: Th-they're totally not hooking up! Just kissing and stuff! And DON'T ADD THAT SUFFIX TO MY NAME!**

**Ikuto: *purrs and smirks, getting ready to pounce***

**Amu: *eyes wide* Ikuto!**

**Ikuto: *pounces***

**Lue and Kaden: *break apart and stare at Ikuto's attack, wide-eyed***

**August: *still holding Star, stares at the attack* *whispers to Star* Isn't she, like, five years younger than us?**

**Star: *too flustered to notice anything* Um, I'm sorry….?**

**Lue: He has the ferocity of a wolf, but the movements of a cat. It's disturbing and fascinating all at once.**

**Kaden: God, isn't she, like, thirteen? I mean, yeah she's cute- not as gorgeous as you, Lue- but that's, uh…..**

**Luella: I mean, the way he's attacking her. **

**August: Holy crap! He totally just put his hands under her shirt! *puts hand over Star eyes* This is a bit intense for you, Star.**

**Star: *comes back to her senses (finally)* What? Why? What's going on?**

**August: *mutters* Note to self: don't get ideas. **

**Luella: August, are you honestly learning from this?**

**Kaden: Lue, come on. He's an eighteen-year-old boy, and the most he's done with Star is kiss and cuddle. At least he's trying not to get ideas.**

**Star: What's happening? Will someone please tell me?**

**Lue: Your Prince is becoming a sickening ruffian. **

**August: Wait, what? No! I swear, I won't do anything Star doesn't want me to.**

**Star: What do you mean? You're free to do whatever you like, August; I'm not your mom. *laughs a little* Or your little sister.**

**August: *eye twitches* *thinks* I wish that she had not said that.**

**Luella: Princess! Do NOT say that! This is an entirely different matter!**

**Kaden: She's so INNOCENT…..and at the age of seventeen….**

**August: *sighs* I swear, I won't.**

**Star: What on EARTH is everyone talking about, then?**

**Luella: *walks over to Star, whispers the situation***

**Star: *eyes grow wider than wide* *face turns almost purple in blush* *gently takes August's hand from her eyes and runs away***

**Kaden: There goes her innocence.**

**August: Dang it, Lue! I wasn't going to do anything! Now she's going to hide somewhere for, like, two weeks! I'm going to be so lonely!**

**Luella: Serves you right for thinking such thoughts.**

**August: I WASN'T! Well, uh, okay, maybe a little, but can you blame me?! I'm eighteen! And there goes a guy right there, practically raping a chick five years younger than him!**

**Ikuto: *Sits up and smirks* Technically not a rape. Not until she's drunk.**

**Amu: WHAT?!**

**August: *shakes head* Dude. Sick. Not in a good way. Anyway, you guys know how freaking gorgeous Star is, right? Don't you? **

**Luella: She****_ is_**** rather striking.**

**Kaden: Yeah. Everyone's noticed but him. *jerks thumb at almost-rapist Ikuto***

**Ikuto: *raises hand* I noticed, but Amu-koi's too cute to really say anything about another girl.**

**Kaden: Right.**

**August: Anyway, YOU CAN'T BLAME ME! IT'S JUST HORMONES! **

**Luella: He's right, Kaden. Augustus is a very puberty-centric person, isn't he?**

**Kaden: Actually, he really is.**

**August: Wait, what?**

**Luella: Prince Augustus, you have constant mood swings, your voice cracked so many times that I couldn't count when we first met you, you went from stick-skinny to leanly muscled within two years**

**August: Cuz I'm a stud.**

**Lue: *rolls eyes* and you're so immature that it runs my mind in circles to try and wonder what imbecilic line you'll come up with next.**

**August: So I'm off the hook?**

**Ikuto: For what? He was just thinking about his girl. I do that more than five times a minute.**

**Amu: *passed out, so she can't object to being Ikuto's girl***

**Luella: Shouldn't you get her to a hospital? It seems she's had a heart attack.**

**Ikuto: Nah. I just went level three on her. If she were older, I'd have gone level one.**

**Kaden: O_O You have….levels?**

**Luella: You sick boy.**

**August: Guys. He's tainting our Radiance. Run, freaking NOW!**

**Radiants: *run away, August grabbing a majorly blushing and wide-eyed huddling Star along the way and throwing her over his shoulder***

**Me: O_O Now that. Was crazy.**

**Ikuto: Creations of yours, right?**

**Me: Yeah. Didn't expect that to happen.**

**Ikuto: They're good kids. And the blue-eyed one was almost as cute as Amu. Almost.**

**Me: X) Yeah, I love Star. Anyway, we really should get Amu to a hospital.**

**Ikuto: Why? She's fine. It was only a level three.**

**Me: Did you even SEE the bruises you left?**

**Ikuto: Oh. No, I didn't. In that case, see you next chapter. Review, guys. *picks up Amu and leaps away to the hospital***

**Me: Dear fish. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!**

**Anyway, sorry for the long wait for an update, and sorry for the SUPER-long and ridiculous author's note, but that's me.**

**So review! Review, or Amu won't recover from the hospital, and Ikuto will kill himself.**

**Do you really want the blood of Tsukiyomi Ikuto on your hands?**

**Or the blood of Hinamori Amu?**

**JUST REVIEW!**

**Thanks. ;D**


	5. Strawberry Chocolates

**-UTAU-**

"So Hoshina, why do you get so pissed at Hinamori when Tsukiyomi makes a move?"

Well, that was an irritating question.

I gave Souma Kukai a glare and returned to my cup of coffee, staring out of the window. Kids and adults alike were roaming the streets, laughing, pointing towards different shops, holding each other's hands. Why did people enjoy the snow so much? I myself was indifferent about the subject, but when it snowed everyone around me seemed so much happier. I didn't understand it.

"You gonna answer my question?"

I turned to him and continued to glare. "No."

He shrugged. "Alright. Just don't leave me hanging."

I was relieved that he'd let it drop. It wasn't that I was afraid to tell anyone the reason why- Amu annoyed me, it was that simple- but I felt an aversion to answer such a moronic question.

I continued to stare out of the window. Nothing had changed; everyone was still boringly happy. My question still hadn't been answered.

"You know, snow is a weird thing. I don't get how, but it gets me pumped for no reason. I just want to- I don't know- do something when I see it."

My eyes widened as I stared at Kukai. How had he known what I was thinking? Or were our thoughts just in sync?

He grinned at me with electric green eyes. "I guess you wouldn't think much of the snow, huh, Hoshina?"

I blinked twice before hastily turning my attention back to my coffee. "No. It's just precipitation," I muttered.

"Yeah," Kukai agreed. "But it seriously makes a difference."

"I guess it does."

I continued to frown at my coffee, not even glancing at him.

Well, this was an irritating situation.

**(-Y-)**

I found Ikuto lying lazily on my bed, as usual. My face was still warm from the bath and his kiss, and I was dressed in black leggings and a long-sleeved red shirt, barefoot.

He looked up from the manga he was reading. "So how'd the fight go?"

I blinked, surprised at how casual he was being. Then again, maybe that kiss hadn't meant anything to him. Maybe I'd overthought it.

"You're spacing out already? Ah, well. To be expected of an airhead."

That brought me back to reality. "I AM NOT AN AIRHEAD!" I snapped.

"Sure," Ikuto sighed.

I placed my purse on my desk, scowling at him. "That's it. You're not getting the chocolates I bought you."

Ikuto's expression remained the same, but he glanced away from the manga. "You bought me chocolates?"

"Now I haven't. They're mine." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Whatever. Go ahead and gain a bunch of weight."

I rolled my eyes. "_I'm_ not going to eat them. I don't feel like having strawberry and chocolate right now. I'll just give them to Ami."

Ikuto looked directly at me. His mouth was tightened a bit, and he looked slightly irritated.

"What?" I asked, giving him my best what's-your-deal face.

He held out his hand. "I'll be good," he promised.

I stared at him, then the box in my hands. "So….you want them?"

Ikuto sighed and took the box himself, ignoring my loud "Hey!" He popped the first one into his mouth and chewed nonchalantly, staring at me again.

I glared back, folding my arms. "What is it this time?" To my surprise, irritation, and confusion, he handed me the box back.

However- before I got a chance to start yelling- he said, "Feed me."

My face flushed. "N-no way! I mean- why?!"

Ikuto's infamous smirk returned. "I fed you. Now it's my turn."

I swatted him on the head over and over again, my face blazing with the memory. "PERVERT! You didn't feed me; you forced me to drink my germ-filled coffee! And it's not like I'd ever feed you anyway!"

Ikuto sighed, shaking his head. "If you don't feed me willingly, I'll have to force you to, Amu-koi."

His words caught me off guard; they made no sense. "How are you going to force me to-"

Before I knew it, Ikuto's fingers were firmly on my chin, pulling me forward, and half of a strawberry-filled chocolate was between my teeth. At the end of that chocolate were Ikuto's teeth.

I swear, one of these days that stupid neko is going to make my face explode from too much blood beneath the skin.

Panicking, I pushed him away and stumbled backward, eyes wide. He still had the chocolate in between his teeth; he used his tongue to pull it back and eat it.

He smirked and rested his head in his arms. Believe it or not, he'd miraculously remained on the bed the entire time (which pissed me off; I'd put a lot of effort into that push).

And then he had the nerve to say, "It's that simple, Amu."

Okay. I'd had enough of that blue-headed thought-scrambling pervert for one day.

I stomped over to him, grabbed him by the arm, dragged him out of my bedroom, and slammed the door in his face.

Well, that solved that.

**(-Y-)**

**KUKAI**

I'll just admit it to myself right now: Hoshina is hot.

I swear, I can't stop staring. She's got those sexy purple eyes, that long blonde hair, that freakin flawless skin, that skinny-yet-curvy figure, everything. Especially her voice. It's like she trained it to be that seductive.

She turned to me in the middle of my thoughts, looking pretty pissed off. Chill pill, anyone?

"What are you staring at, moron?"

I shrugged. "I dunno."

"Stop looking in my direction. You're giving me the vibe of a stalker."

She turned her head and continued to stare out the window. I continued to stare at her.

Yup. Hoshina was hot alright.

Someone seriously needed to cool her off.

**( - Y - )**

"Amu."

Or so I'd thought.

"What now?!" I yelled.

"Can I have the chocolates?"

I opened the door, threw the box at his face, and slammed it again.

Five minutes later, I could still see Ikuto's feet in front of my door.

"What are you waiting for?! Leave!"

"Where am I going to go?"

"To your house, baka!"

"But I want to be with you."

"The feeling isn't mutual, Ikuto! Go home!"

"Amu."

_"WHAT?!"_

"Open the door."

"Why?!"

"I found something."

I rolled my eyes and reluctantly opened my door. "What is it?"

Just in time for me to feel like an idiot, Ikuto pulled me into a hug.

I felt his chest move in a chuckle, something that I hated that I loved. "You believe everything, huh?"

"Get- away- from-me!" I tried pushing away, but he had an iron grip on me, as strong as it had been that morning. I couldn't free myself of his embrace.

Stupid cat.

**(-Y-)**

**TADASE**

It had been three years.

Three years, and we still hadn't become a couple. What was wrong with me? Where was my courage?

And it wasn't as if I hadn't noticed Ikuto-niisan growing more and more in love with her each day; I just knew for a fact that I wouldn't be able to overcome my selfish desire to keep Amu-chan to myself.

Thankfully, Ikuto and I had talked it out a few months ago. We'd agreed that Amu would be free to choose whoever she loved more, but we'd also agreed that it didn't mean that we'd give up. After all, a man's pride is a man's pride, isn't it? How would we claim ourselves worthy of Amu if we didn't go to the trouble of expressing our love for her?

Amu is a unique, gorgeous, precious woman. At first I'd known that she was incredibly cute, and I'd realized exactly how much I'd adored her- to the point that I was able to call it love.

And as time stretched on, she grew into something even more amazing. Now I was truly able to call it love.

She was flawless. Even the traits that seemed like faults were false ones. She was brave, selfless, understanding, inspirational, motivated, perceptive, intelligent, thoughtful, and pure. That was only the beginning.

Her endearing quirks made her unlike any other girl I'd ever met. I couldn't help but adore how she was caring to the point that she'd snap at you if you hurt yourself, but when it came to her own pain she continued to fight on. She always found a way to alter the uniform until it fit her liking. She made the cutest face when she saw something that she wanted at the mall, or if there was a sale, she'd brighten immediately. She always stared intensely at her toes whenever we were alone (and I couldn't help but do likewise), and she stared out of the window constantly during class with this faraway, quiet, thoughtful look in her eye that made me wonder what, exactly, she was thinking of so deeply.

And if I began on how extravagantly beautiful she'd become over the course of three years, I'd never finish. To make things simple, she took my breath away (even though that doesn't sound right- it doesn't do her justice).

Whenever I was around Amu, I felt stronger. Not necessarily because I was, but because her strength made me feel as if I had improved myself. I was also allowed to take a break from being a role model to everyone. Of course I cared of her image of me, but she didn't seem to care either way whether I did everything perfectly. It's not as if I were too clumsy, but I didn't feel the pressure of being watched as I did at school and at home.

So, factoring in all of these details, how had I managed to avoid asking her to be my girlfriend?

I felt so spineless. Of course Ikuto hadn't asked her either, but I suspected that it was because he was giving me a chance to catch up a little, something that I didn't think I deserved. After all, Sanjo-kun and Ikuto had a fair head start on me. Sanjo had confessed first, and Ikuto-niisan had kissed her first.

And to be fair, I think that Amu loved me as much as she did Ikuto. She'd waited for him to return instead of asking me out (I'd've been mortified if she'd beat me to it), but she wasn't particularly giving more affection to either one of us now that he'd returned. It was disheartening, but I knew that if Ikuto-niisan won I'd still be happy. More or less.

But still.

It gave me no excuse.

I had to ask her.

…

I couldn't.

**(-Y-)**

Five minutes later, I was still in Ikuto's arms.

"How much self-control do you think a guy has?" He murmured suddenly.

I replied crossly, "Apparently, not much."

"You don't have much faith."

"I haven't been given much to build faith upon."

"What if I gave you something to build your faith upon?"

"Where did this even come from?"

Ikuto chuckled. I couldn't help it; the sound and feel of it made me feel warm all over.

"Do you think I'm immature?"

"Why did you change the subject so quickly?"

"Answer the question."

"Why should I?"

"Do you want me to call your father up here?"

"I think you're immature. Most of the time."

"Ah." Ikuto seemed to ponder this. "And the minority of the time?"

"You're so mature that I feel like a brat."

"Good to know."

We were silent for some time before Ikuto finally stopped squishing me to his torso and kissed the top of my head, smiling a bit into my hair. "For the record," he stated, looking me in the eye, "immaturity suits you much better. Now I have some business to attend to; I'll see you later to thank you for those chocolates, perverted kid."

Before I could object, Ikuto turned and went down the stairs with his chocolates, waving good-bye to my mom, dad, and sister.

I found it incredibly weird that I wanted to rewind time and pause it at the moment when he was hugging me.

It was as if….

Oh no.

No.

No.

Just no.

There wasn't a possibility, was there? None at all?

Was there really a chance that I was beginning to fall for Ikuto?

…

Double.

Freaking.

Crap.

**a/n: I HAVE RETURNED.**

***cue Darth Vader theme***

**SO effing sorry this took me so long. But hey, I might finish this just in time for Christmas! :D**

**I haven't really gotten anywhere plot-wise, so maybe I'll have a chance at happenings next chapter. So far, a recap. Ahem.**

**Due to his childish wish on his eighteenth birthday to keep Yoru until he was ready to let go, Ikuto has stayed seventeen physically and mentally for the past three years.**

**Over those three years Amu and her friends have grown a changed a bit, but not too much. Amu and Ikuto are now close friends; Amu passes off Ikuto's constant confessions and displays of affection as jokes. She has a crush on Kukai, as well, and she still is hopelessly in love with Tadase. Tadase is still getting up the courage to ask out Amu, and Ikuto's giving him some time to catch up, under the agreement that amu could choose whoever she liked of the two of them. He and Tadase are now as close as brothers, like they used to be, and the Tsukiyomi and Hotori family are mending their relationship now that Aruto has returned to Japan.**

**Christmas break has begun. One day has passed, and Ikuto seems to be on a non-stop harassment roll. Already, Amu's mind is a jumble, she's questioning her feelings for him, and she's been pelted with snowballs by Utau. Kukai apparently has noticed Utau's appeal, and she's already annoyed by his general presence. **

**Amu: Why are you writing a Christmasfic when summer breaks' about to begin?**

**Me: Because I can.**

**Ikuto: And because we need to assure the readers that you and I aren't dead.**

**Amu: good point. Continue.**

**Anyway, to artxsoul, SO freaking sorry! D: I'll try to update as often as I can, even if I have a tanline from my watch already and only a week of school.**

**Speaking of which...(^O^)**

**Ikuto: Dance party?**

**Me: Heck yeah.**

**Ikuto: I volunteer Amu as tribute. *pushes Amu forward***

**Amu: Hey! I can't dance!**

**Me: Shut up, woman. You can dance, just not in front of Ikuto. ;D**

**Ikuto: Oh no, she can. And she will. Right now, in fact.**

**Me: Yeah...Ikuto's a perv.**

**Ikuto: :D**

**Amu: HELP!**

**Me: Now. I will update faster if you review. Pwease? :'(**


End file.
